The Heart of a Lyon Girl
by Sultry Sweet
Summary: Princess Regina's unhappily engaged and looking for an escape when she meets Emma, a peasant girl on a journey to reunite with her long lost brother Henry. Regina's quick to come along and they form an odd partnership with its share of ups and downs and along their journey, they stumble upon much more than they expected in the forest and make some interesting discoveries.
1. Tavern Girl

**A/N: Each chapter is based off of an episode summary for The Lyon Girl on Tumblr, which was started by mishka47. Anyone can post stuff for it and it's a really interesting story. If you don't want any spoilers for this fic, don't read too much about each "episode" on The Lyon Girl page.**

* * *

Another lonely night spent in front of the mirror. She sighed, unhappy and terrified of her future, while she properly sat up straight in front of her vanity with her shoulders back and her head held high. She slowly, lazily, ran a brush through her long, brunette hair before bed as part of her nightly ritual and took a hard look at the sad young woman she saw reflected back at her. Plump lips pulled south in a frown, innocently wide and tragically desperate brown eyes, trepidation on her features whenever she thought about her fiancé and their impending union, but none of that should have described a girl who'd only matured on the birthday she had only briefly been able to enjoy a month before the kingdom's well-respected King had proposed.

None of that had described Regina before her birthday celebration, though. During the celebration, in fact, she had easily been one of the happiest people in the kingdom. She'd had a boyfriend, though he had been kept a secret, she'd had a father who indulged her behind her mother's back, and she had Rocinante, her beloved steed. The only bad thing about her birthday that year had been her mother's incessant demands to act like a lady and look for a good husband because she hadn't raised her daughter to be a foolish spinster. That had been after she'd snuck back into their castle after seeing her secret boyfriend at their usual meeting place by a tree in a clearing a few miles from the stables where they'd first met. Her mother's scolding was followed by a few insults, which was a normal though extremely hurtful conversation for them, had sent Regina to her room to privately shed poorly concealed tears.

Thankfully, her father tried his hardest to salvage her evening. Cora was a strong woman who quickly, effortlessly, towered over and dominated both father and daughter combined, but she never seemed to notice his absence so he'd almost always went after Regina unless he knew she'd needed her space. That night he'd entered her chamber with a small little smile reserved solely for his darling daughter and she'd returned it with a watery and sad smile of her own. He'd sat with her and told her stories from his youth, before he'd met Cora, and he'd suggested they go horseback riding early the following morning. Just the two of them. And then they would talk about anything and everything they pleased and he would use words like "mijita" and "princesita" and "mi querida." During their time in the forest astride their horses that day while she'd told her father all about the stable boy and their hidden courtship, it had been one of the last times she'd truly been happy.

It was only the day after the King had proposed and her mother had accepted it on her behalf that she'd lost him, her Daniel, her love, her world. She'd run to him the night of her unwanted proposal and told him they had to run away. In her panic, she hadn't mentioned the proposal until he'd been able to calm her down and once he'd heard the news, he'd given her hope and a moment of pure, but unfortunately brief, happiness; the last she'd ever known, as bittersweet as it had been.

"_Marry me," she'd said._

"_Regina, what are you doing? What's happened," he'd asked, careful and lovingly and then concerned. "Did you tell your mother?"_

"_No," Regina had quickly answered. "And now I can never tell her. She won't understand."_

_He'd looked at her with so much compassion while she'd tried not to cry yet again because her cheeks had already been stained and a few tears had pooled just below her eyes but hadn't quite fallen. _

"_That girl I saved," she had breathily continued, "was the King's daughter. And now he's proposed. To me!"_

"_What?"_

_He'd touched her arm and she took a deep breath, though not calming or steady, before she cried out, "My mother accepted!"_

_In that moment, he'd shown immense sympathy for her, but he'd also looked as morose about the information as she had. It was then that she had turned from him, afraid there was nothing he would do to help her, afraid he couldn't even if he'd wanted to. With damp lashes and a heavy heart, she took a few steps toward the stable doors she'd entered through and sniffled. Thoughts about her situation continued to run through her mind until one of them made sense._

"_The only way out is to run," she'd said almost reverently. _

_She'd turned around and walked back to him while she elaborated in a rush, "For us to leave this place, for us to be married, for us to never come back."_

"_Regina," he'd almost pleaded as he took her hands in his. "Do you understand what that would mean? Life…with a stable boy is a far cry from a life as Queen."_

"_Being Queen means nothing. Daniel," she'd placed her hands on either side of his head and stroked her thumbs over his cheekbones, "All I care about is you."_

_He'd gently held her wrists and brought her hands down to his mouth. He'd smiled before he kissed the pad of one of her thumbs and looked at her with bright eyes that instantly warmed her._

"_Then if I am to marry you," he'd started to say after Regina begged him to run with her, "let's do this properly."_

_He'd ripped a tiny, twisted ring from a saddle he'd set aside nearby where they stood on straw littered dirt and looked deep into her eyes when he returned to her. He slid the gold band onto her finger and it fit perfectly, like it had been made just for that moment, that purpose. _

_She'd gasped and breathed out a happy laugh filled with a bit of relief at what she'd thought she'd finally be able to have, a life with Daniel and away from her mother and the kingdom and most importantly a life of happiness. She'd beamed up at him then moved in and melted into a passionate kiss with him. That had been the absolute last minute of untainted bliss for her because the little girl she'd saved from a runaway horse had found them, dropped a pail that had forced the two of them apart and ran off. _

_Regina had thought she'd convinced Snow White not to tell anyone, especially her mother of all people, about what she'd seen and how she felt about Daniel, but the child was only that: a child. Regina's secret had been kept for a day before Cora had barged her way into her relationship, her plans to leave with her true love, and she'd given her daughter false hope. She'd tricked Regina into thinking she'd accepted Regina and the stable boy together just long enough to get close to the boy and crush his heart with her dark magic. Right in front of Regina. And it had crushed her heart as well, though hers continued to beat in her chest while Daniel's had been turned to dust and mixed in with the dirt beneath his unanimated, rapidly chilling body. _

_He was gone and she'd wanted nothing more than to get him back._

A month later, she was still engaged to the King while he arranged the date and made all the preparations in the main hall in his Winter Palace for their wedding. She was also still haunted by the memory of that night, a memory she was sure she would have nightmares about for years to come. That night made her wonder which of their fates was more fortunate, his death or her hollow shell of an existence that even misery didn't know how to fill, though it certainly tried.

As she continued to sit in front her mirror, her hair forgotten as she slowly placed her brush back on her vanity like she was in a trance, the morbid thought passed through her mind for the millionth time since she'd lost Daniel—and a part of herself with him. The knowledge that a man at least twice her age would call her wife and make her Queen and Stepmother at the young age of eighteen led her to the balcony before she could waste her time tossing and turning in bed without an ounce of sleep yet again.

Four weeks prior, she'd only had a stable boy's love and the freedom to be who she wanted and go wherever she desired. Every night since then, she'd been harshly reminded of what handful of responsibilities she would have on her shoulders as soon as she became King Leopold's second wife and Queen. The unfairness of it all, her childhood and all the magical punishments she'd received for her insubordination—which was expected from most little girls her age, but Cora Mills refused to let her daughter behave as atrociously as those less than special brats—as well as her future as a mother to the little girl she'd saved who was only about six years her junior, finally upset Regina to her breaking point.

She slammed her fist down against the balustrade in front of her and growled her fury in an undignified way her mother would disapprove of if she'd heard it. The first hit relieved her so she took another breath and brought her fist back down against the balustrade. It started to shake loose from its unstable connection to the balcony floor, but it did nothing to deter the brunette from her long overdue venting. That was until she released her fist and pounded her palm flat against the balustrade, which shook drastically enough for her to lose her balance and grip the railing just as it pushed forward and gave way. She let go a second too late and screamed on her sudden plunge toward the ground. As the wind blasted against her face and through her long, dark hair, certain of her inevitable death, she couldn't help but wonder—and even feel a small sense of elation—if she would be reunited with Daniel. Fear flooded her entire being, but a wave of peace flowed through her when the ground seemed close enough to reach out and touch. She pictured his face, her sweetheart, her Daniel, and stopped screaming before she braced herself for the impact.

The ground then took on a green glow and she hit something, but when she failed to lose consciousness or see anything other than the cement beneath her she knew she hadn't hit the ground. Instead, she'd hit magic. Green magic.

"Put me down! What are you doing," Regina looked up and asked what she soon realized to be a fairy.

"Giving you a second chance," the fairy answered and a second later, the fairy flicked her wand and magically floated her back up to the balcony.

Her feet gently touched the ground and the fairy flew closer to her. Regina looked at the fairy with confusion as she approached and her eyes widened. As much as she was stunned by the discovery that there was a fairy in her presence, she was also in a state of disbelief that one would ever appear for her. She'd heard of them, of course, and how they granted wishes, but none had ever come to grant her any. She'd had plenty, especially when she was younger, but there wasn't a single fairy in all the realm that seemed to hear her desperate pleas.

Eventually she'd given up hope that one day her wishes, or at least one of her most wanted wishes, would be granted and she swore off the idea of fairies altogether. Because what good magical being that was supposed to help people would neglect a little girl who'd only wanted her mother to love her, who'd at the very least wanted her mother to stop restraining her with magic and using it to punish her and leave marks where no one would see?

The fairy in front of her morphed into full height, which made her only about an inch shorter than Regina, and the brunette took in the shiny green dress that matched the color of her magic. The fairy had rosy cheeks and blonde hair, which had been pulled back into a sort of bun and was partially maintained by a jewel-studded headband. She smiled at Regina even though she'd just stopped the woman from falling to death, and carefully approached her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Tinker Bell."

"Y-You're a _fairy_."

Tinker Bell chuckled and replied, "I realized that when I used my wings and magic to get here."

Regina glared and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I want to help you. I'm here to give you a second chance like I told you down there," Tinker Bell said and motioned behind her at the ground below the unguarded edge of Regina's balcony.

Regina continued to glare and crossed her arms with defiance. "Fairies don't help."

"Sure we do," Tinker Bell cheerily responded.

"They don't help _me_. They never have."

"And they never _will _with an attitude like that," the blonde tried to joke.

Regina only huffed and turned away from her.

Tinker Bell sighed and stepped closer without invading too much personal space.

"If you change your mind about fairies, or about believing I really do want to help you, meet me at the pub in the neighboring village. Tomorrow at noon. I hope you show."

Regina took a deep breath and thought about the invitation. The first fairy to show up when she needed saving and that fairy had already extended a courtesy even her peers had never given her. She turned to the fairy and opened her mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat when she saw Tinker Bell was gone.

Just as she'd suspected she would before she'd gone over the edge of the balcony, Regina had a near sleepless night. Only a couple of hours between sigh after sigh all the while getting tangled up in her sheets after shifting several times in futile attempts to find a comfortable position to help her drift off counted for rest that night.

* * *

Noon approached the next day and since she had nothing better to do, she decided to visit the neighboring village. She rode Rocinante to the only pub in the village and secured him to the post outside. She then wrung her hands and tried to gain the courage needed to find the fairy who said she'd be there.

Regina managed to walk to the door and reached out to pull it open when a man burst through it and startled her. She took a few staggered steps back and stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before she reigned in her emotions and neutralized her expression. She didn't want people to look down on her. She wanted to blend in, be as invisible or at least as boring and regular as possible.

The man hardly noticed her, but he flashed a small, polite smile and bowed his head out of respect as he passed her. She relaxed and turned her attention to the inside of the pub then looked over at the bar. There, she saw a few men sip their drinks or talk to the barmaid, but only one female sat in a stool on the patron side of the bar. Tinker Bell.

She went right up to the fairy, didn't bother to sit down in the empty stool next to the blonde, and waited to be noticed.

"Regina," Tinker Bell beamed as soon as the other woman was at her side. "You came."

"Yes, well, I figured there was no harm in finding out if you truly _could _help me. You _are _the first fairy to visit me so why wouldn't you have come all this way to help me?"

"That's what I like to hear," Tinker Bell said and shot onto her feet. "Why don't you and I talk outside? It's a bit musty in here."

Tinker Bell looped her arm in Regina's and led her out to a vacant table farthest from the pub, which really wasn't that far but the smell of mead thankfully didn't carry past the cups they were served in. The fresh scent of nature, of pine and wheat and grass, felt more natural to both women and each took their seats across from each other at the table.

The barmaid passed by and took their orders on her way to serving another table their drinks and Tinker Bell carefully and comfortably got Regina to open up to her about her past.

It wasn't long before Regina loosened up enough over lunch to express her honest feelings about her soon-to-be husband and her just as soon-to-be stepdaughter.

"Snow White? That's her name? Even _I _think that's a bit precious and mine's _Tinker Bell_."

"She's a monster. Totally indulged and adored. She sort of…_ricochets_ through life telling people's secrets," Regina explained then leaned forward and lowered her voice to add, "…She had my fiancé killed."

"No," Tinker Bell responded with disbelief.

"The only way I can get through any of this is that she and the King will be gone _all _the time. They travel a lot. He dotes on her and she never misses out on new experiences in new places. Besides, she's supposed to inherit the throne once both her father and I are gone, or if we abdicate it."

Laughter from the table next to them drew Tinker Bell's attention to the other patrons and she leaned forward and spoke quietly to ensure as much privacy as possible in a public setting.

"You'll be glad when you're husband's gone?"

Regina laughed at the absurdity of the fairy's question.

"Husband. Please. It won't be a marriage. It will be a _farce_."

Regina reviewed her surroundings, reminded herself anyone could overhear and could possibly report her conversation to the King himself, and leaned forward like Tinker Bell previously had before she continued.

"I may gain the title of Queen, but to be alone in the palace I already feel like the queen of nothing."

Tinker Bell's expression softened, her eyes filled with sympathy and a hint of sadness. She looked Regina over before she said, "No wonder you jumped."

Tinker Bell took a sip from her drink with utter nonchalance, appeared completely unbothered by what she had said or how it had sounded.

Regina scoffed.

"I didn't jump," she nervously laughed then continued to correct the other woman when she said, "I fell."

"Right. You fell," Tinker Bell knowingly smirked and picked a fry off of Regina's plate and ate it.

"I did," Regina seriously insisted.

Regina placed her elbows on the table and leaned onto them as she avoided looking up just yet. She took a deep breath before she decided to continue with the truth when she spoke with Tinker Bell. She was the only person Regina had in her life that actually listened to what she had to say and she never judged. So she went ahead with her next confession with a little laughter in her words.

"But if I had? …Well, here's to good reasons."

They fluidly clinked cups, but only Regina drank to that. Tinker Bell didn't lift her drink to her lips, but instead looked around again before she offered a solution to Regina's dissatisfactory arrangement.

"You know, I've got an idea."

Regina perked up. "Hmm."

"I can help people find what they need, Regina."

"And what do I need," Regina innocently asked with a shrug and a smile.

"You don't even know? That's so sad. Regina, _love. _You need love."

Regina laughed and shook her head before she incredulously stated, "You're going to help me find another soul mate."

"It is possible to find love again," Tinker Bell encouraged. "I've never seen pixie dust fail. It will find you your perfect match."

Regina sighed and picked at the transparent sleeve of her dress.

"If you let it, it could find your happy ending."

"My happy ending looks like Snow's head on a plate," Regina flatly replied, her eyes downcast as a darkness fell over her features.

"No! Aren't you at least curious? What if I can do what I say?"

Regina jokingly responded with, "Well then I'd say that's real magic."

"I'm a fairy. You might want to try believing in me."

Regina gave it some thought. "Fine. You want me to believe in you? Show me the pixie dust and I'll see where it leads."

Regina waited a few seconds, but when Tinker Bell didn't move she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

"Well," Tinker Bell started, "I don't have the pixie dust _with _me. I'll have to get it. But I _can _get it."

"Until then, I think this _particular_ conversation is over. Feel free to visit any time, without or without the dust," Regina concluded as she stood.

Tinker Bell's eyes pleaded with her to stay, but Regina saw the fairy knew she was quickly losing ground with her. As Regina started to walk over to Rocinante, Tinker Bell sighed with defeat and watched Regina mount her steed and leave.

Regina threw a quick glance over her shoulder as Rocinante cantered away from the pub, her expression woefully hopeful as she looked at Tinker Bell, and then she faced forward and clicked her tongue at Rocinante until he sped up into a full gallop.

* * *

That evening, Regina sat in front of her mirror with a feather pen in hand as she delicately wrote out the day's events into her journal. The book was halfway filled with all her thoughts and feelings and questions about the things she didn't want to keep bottled up inside but couldn't otherwise express. Part of her entry then involved the fairy as she wrote, _"The fairy I met last night has suggested she can find me love, my happy ending. I'm not sure I trust that to be the truth, but she seems genuine enough. Whether or not she brings me the pixie dust she claims will direct me to my second chance—another soul mate—I only hope she'll come back to visit._

"_I may not know much about her and I certainly don't believe any other fairy would dare attempt what she says she will since she's the only one to come to me in all my eighteen years of life, but I think if she's as open to more lunches and conversations as I am she may come to be…a friend."_

She had only just finished writing the word "friend" when a familiar green glowed appeared in her mirror. She pulled her hand away from the paper and allowed the ink to dry as she turned to the fairy with her lips parted in disbelief.

"Want to fly," Tinker Bell asked with a smile while her wings flapped, wand in hand.

"You got it," Regina asked as she stood and moved closer to the fairy.

"And then some," Tinker Bell answered and started to fly backward toward the balcony where Regina had fallen. "Let's get started. Helping you find _your _happiness, saving _you_? That's what's gonna save me."

Regina slowly started to come to the realization, "This isn't your pixie dust, is it."

"Well when you think about it, does anyone really _own _pixie dust?"

Regina shrugged, but looked worried and a little skeptical of the new information Tinker Bell had provided.

"Well fairies are…_quite _proprietary about it. If they find out you stole it, they wou—"

"_Don't_ worry about me," Tinker Bell insisted. "This is about you."

With a flick of the wand, pixie dust sprinkled over Regina and she felt the magic course through her for a second before her feet left the ground and she levitated toward the blonde. Within a few moments, she was above the ground that would have taken her life had it not been for the fairy next to her. She was upright for a few seconds more before she looked at Tinker Bell, who slowly flew further from the palace, then leaned forward and followed behind her.

The power of flight, whether borrowed and brief or not, intoxicated her. It freed her from so many things and she couldn't explain in words how elated she felt not to be grounded. Her entire life felt like a cage, but the restriction-less skies opened her up to new perspectives. She already looked happier than she had since Daniel's death as she flew over the kingdom and stared down at her world with the realization that things she thought were daunting looked much smaller at a different angle.

After a few minutes, Tinker Bell flicked her wand and pixie dust descended in a similar way to Aurora Borealis toward an establishment in the distance. As they approached it, it didn't seem all that different than the pub they'd visited earlier that day. The real differences were the size and the seemingly sturdier structure the one under foot had over the afternoon pub.

"What's that," Regina asked.

"That is your happy ending."

Regina smiled, though it flickered with the doubt and insecurity that suddenly crashed into her like a tidal wave.

"Your soul mate's down there," Tinker Bell nodded toward what the pixie dust illuminated with a green glow.

They followed the pixie dust and Regina smiled again, one that lasted longer and was borne from the excitement and nervous butterflies in her stomach that time. Once they were on the ground, Tinker Bell took one of her hands and led her to the door.

"Inside here lies the beginning of your happiness," Tinker Bell said with a bright smile. "All the pain in your past will be just that, the past."

They stopped right outside the door and Regina's nerves started to get the best of her. She let go of Tinker Bell's hand and ran both of her sweaty palms over her thighs.

"I just need a moment," she said with her eyes on the ground.

"You're nervous," Tinker Bell noted. "I get it."

The blonde turned and leaned in toward the window within the door to what Regina had quickly realized upon landing was a tavern. Tinker Bell searched inside until she tapped a finger against the glass.

"There," the blonde instructed. "The one with the flower tattoo."

Regina moved in beside Tinker Bell for a closer look and saw a faint green glow around another blonde. Another _woman_. The person Tinker Bell's finger was pointed at had long blonde hair that not only framed her face but her breasts as well. The dress the woman wore wasn't too conservative, though a woman in a tavern at that hour was usually a barmaid, barfly, or general wench. For some reason, however, the woman in the tavern didn't strike her as any one of those types.

"That's her," Regina asked, surprised and a little timid.

"Pixie dust doesn't lie," Tinker Bell confirmed. "Come on."

Regina couldn't tear her eyes away, as sad and scared as they were, from the woman in the tavern. It wasn't until Tinker Bell gently tugged on her dress sleeve that she even acknowledged the fairy was still present.

"This is your chance at love and happiness," Tinker Bell calmly assured her. "Fresh start, no baggage. You can let go of all of the anger that weighs you down."

Regina still looked nervous, but she at least seemed a little more convinced to find out more about the woman inside.

Tinker Bell nodded toward the door and said, "Go get her."

Regina took a small breath and hesitated before she nodded.

"Okay," she agreed before she took a bigger breath and looked back into the window at the woman she was apparently destined—according to magical, stolen dust—to meet. "Okay, I can do this. I can be happy."

"I know you can," Tinker Bell smiled at Regina, who nervously yet hopefully smiled back. "Go."

Tinker Bell comfortingly ran a hand down Regina's arm then gave her space to introduce herself to the woman, to connect with her other soul mate.

Regina clutched her apple tree necklace and took a few minutes to herself on the colder side of the tavern door. She watched as the woman still haloed by pixie dust smiled at something and Regina backed far enough away from the door to open it without hitting herself.

She reached out and collected herself for a second before she briskly pulled the handle and felt a surge of fulfillment rush through her. When she opened the door wide, she saw the blonde inside much clearer and the glow had started to recede a little. As the pixie dust faded, more of the woman's natural beauty shined stronger than any magic Regina had known. It also allowed her to see the scar above the woman's right breast. It seemed like such a simple thing, not hard to miss given the woman's attire, but the imperfection somehow drew Regina closer. The brunette took a step inside and almost smiled as she continued to stare at the woman, the soul mate who was still nothing more than a stranger to her, but then Regina saw her stand up. She also saw the woman wasn't alone. A dark haired man with a leather jacket stood with her and closed a bit of the space between them.

Regina's heart sank and devastation clouded her features. She placed a hand over her stomach as she tried to keep herself composed, but felt sheer dread and heartbreak for a woman whose name she didn't even know. The man was, well, a man, and he wasn't bad to look at. There was no way pixie dust would win over the other woman's desire for someone who wasn't engaged to a king and had nothing as exciting or alluring to offer as the dashing mystery man in front of her. Although she did have two hands. Upon further inspection, Regina noticed the shiny, curved metal appendage that replaced the man's left hand. But he was still tall, dark, and handsome and Regina doubted she could compete with that.

Just as the woman's eyes darted to the door, away from the man who appeared to be her date, Regina hiked up the bottom of her dress and bolted from the tavern. She didn't once look back as she ran as fast and as far as her feet would carry her.


	2. Emma Drifts

A year since her unfortunate not-quite meeting with her destined soul mate and Regina remained in the same rut. She was still engaged to the King, not yet married only due to his frequent and sometimes unexpected travels, and she was alone. Snow White stayed in the Summer Palace with all the palace hands to look after her while Regina spent her time in solitude in the Winter Palace during Leopold's time away. It was both a blessing and a curse.

Not willing to spend a sixth consecutive day cooped up in the dreary palace, she dressed herself in her least luxurious clothes and teased and tangled her hair to make herself look more common. It was a ritual she'd started several months prior and it was one she went through at least once every few weeks before she mounted Rocinante and left her miserable confines. That day was no different. She grabbed a satchel from the back of her large closet and went to the kitchen to stuff it with a few apples she'd picked herself a few days ago then added a few semi-stale dinner rolls to sustain her during her travel.

She grabbed one of the swords in the armory for the guards and soldiers that occasionally came around the Winter Palace to ensure her safety and even briefly played card games with her to pass the time before they returned to the younger, fairer skinned princess in the Summer Palace. Regina, after all, was far better company than a twelve year old girl who wanted to have tea parties with anyone who would pay her the slightest amount of attention. She had no training with a sword and even though she borrowed one every time she went on her short day trips she still had no idea how to really wield one. But she brought it along for protection anyway. As a commoner and a woman, she was in danger as a seemingly easy target for the riffraff that passed through many of the villages. Most were thieves and plenty had no qualms with taking what they wanted, like the forced company of a woman or her jewels, so she had to ensure her own protection while she was out. There was also the fear of being recognized. Should anyone realize she was a princess, betrothed to King Leopold, people could beat her because they either couldn't beat the King or they could use her to _get _to the King, or there were some who probably wouldn't think twice about abducting her and holding her for ransom to obtain the riches they thought were owed to them. Many saw King Leopold as an enemy, something she'd learned on one of her first days outside of either of the King's palaces' walls, and though she may not have valued her lonesome life she still didn't want to be captured or badgered or in any way abused. For the time being, she still had her virtue and she wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible, though she knew her less than desirable wedding night would have her suffer that tragic loss. It was fair to share that "gift" with a person's spouse, but it wasn't Regina's choice of spouse. It was her mother's and the King's own self-serving choice therefore it wasn't fair for her at all.

She closed her eyes and shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts, slung her satchel over her shoulder, and went to the stable to retrieve Rocinante. She fed him one of the apples she'd packed for her excursion as she led him out of his stall and then proceeded to tack him up once he'd finished the fruit. As soon as he was ready for their day out in the sun and fresh air, she walked him out of the stable and mounted him. Within seconds, she clicked her tongue and encouraged him forward. He happily galloped off and the two practically became one as they enjoyed the free range of land they covered through the forest, rider and steed in sync with their movements.

The village she visited on a fairly regular basis whenever the King had left her to her own devices for months at a time was on the opposite side of the kingdom than the pub she'd gone to for lunch with Tinker Bell the previous year. It only took an hour's ride to get there, but because it had been a while since she'd last taken Rocinante out she let him have his fun and took almost half a day to reach her destination. Her first stop in the village once they'd finally made it there was a bed and breakfast she'd stayed in on her first night she'd ever visited the area. She'd left far too late and had had no real plan as to where she'd wanted to go so she'd arrived at that village at a time that made it too risky to travel back safely her first time out.

So she'd stumbled upon the inn and met the owner, a kind yet testy older woman who ran the inn and knew her to be anything but a commoner when she noticed the jewelry Regina hadn't thought to take off before she'd left the palace. The woman hadn't threatened to reveal her secret and had kept Regina's identity just between them, though she wasn't the only one in that village to know who Regina actually was. Neither of them had told or even thought to tell anyone else either, however, so they'd thankfully become fast allies and friends. They gave her a reason to appreciate her lonely life because as often as she was neglected, she was also given a certain freedom with it to do as she pleased without anyone within the circle of trust inside either of the King's palaces being the wiser.

She dismounted Rocinante and tied him to the post outside of the inn before she entered and took in the few changes that had been made to the main area on the first floor since she'd last stayed there a little over twelve weeks prior. There were a handful of freshly picked flowers that sat in a handmade vase she recognized as the innkeeper's skillful pottery work that sat on a wooden end table near the door. Only one of the original couches in the longue area off to the side remained, the tell-tale signs of it being part of the original furniture noted by the tears and dips and stains that covered the disastrous material. There was a newer, but smaller, couch perpendicular to the ratty couch and two new end tables, one by each couch, with a darker stained wood than the one by the door. The interior still looked like a cabin, though most places within the kingdom looked that way, and though the furniture no longer matched each other it still felt like home. The interior was warm and inviting and was certainly unique to the woman in charge of it all.

"What did I tell you about waiting too long between visits, girl?"

Regina turned away from the lounge area and saw the innkeeper approach with a wide smile, which received an equally wide smile back.

"Granny," Regina merrily greeted.

"Nice to have you back," the graying haired woman continued to smile and moved closer. "Should I prepare a room for you?"

"Oh, no, thank you. That won't be necessary. I don't plan to stay for the night." She took another look around the lobby area and nodded at what she saw before she added, "I like what you have done here."

"Yeah, well, it'll look a _lot _better when the rest of the trashed stuff gets scraped. I wish I could have gotten rid of it all in one go, but money's been a little tight around this place. If the damned King wouldn't spent so much time and money on his extensive journeys," Granny stopped herself then and looked at Regina before she sighed and dropped her rant. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget how close you are to all of this."

Regina forced a smile and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I understand the King isn't the most responsible with the people's tax money and he really should respect the smaller villages around the palace, but… Well, if he would actually _listen _to me, maybe less people would be hurt and more would be happy."

Granny kindly and sympathetically smiled, her head tilted to one side, and looked at Regina like she was young and naïve and good and brilliant; like she was her granddaughter by birth and ready to change the world without any real power to do so.

"Wouldn't that be nice," Granny replied. "Maybe one day, when you're Queen, the rest of us will get fair wages and better land and more crops to sustain us through the seasons."

"Maybe," Regina sadly said and looked down at the floor.

Granny pursed her lips and sighed, saddened by the sight of a downtrodden Regina. The brunette's expressions had gradually faded away from calm and sweet and still hopeful, a certain light in her eyes, but the more time she spent in the King's world—around him and his daughter—the darker her spirits became with each visit made. One night during one of her latest visits, Regina had spent more than three consecutive nights at the inn and hardly spoke to anyone.

Regina hung around the lobby, on the oldest of all the couches, and listened and watched other people as they came and went. She'd been content just to have the company without directly interacting with them.

Granny knew Regina's reasons for visiting. The poor girl wanted to break out of the solitude of her life back in the palace. She wanted to spend time with people she felt comfortable with, people more like her, and she wanted to remember what it felt like to have something good in her life. With King Leopold, she had nothing and would continue to have nothing as long as she was in one way or another bound to him.

"Why don't I make you some cocoa and we can talk a little while," Granny suggested.

Regina nodded and followed Granny to the kitchen. She watched the older woman boil milk and ground cacao seeds into a paste.

"Those seeds aren't easy to come by," Regina mentioned with furrowed brows.

"Which is why I don't offer cocoa to anyone else but you," Granny informed her with a raised brow as she split her attention between the cocoa and the younger woman.

Regina flashed a quick and grateful smile then said, "Thank you. Really."

"I've known you for some time, girl. If there's anyone who deserves a little special treatment now and then, it's you."

Regina beamed and bashfully ducked her head.

"Thank you," Regina repeated and once the cocoa was finished, she and Granny talked for almost an hour at one of the few and small dining room tables.

They discussed palace life and if Regina had been writing lately, how business had been for the inn.

"Have you seen Sidney since you've been here," Granny asked when they circled back around to talk of the village.

Regina shook her head and laughed.

"Thankfully no."

Granny chuckled.

"You make it sound like the worst thing in the world."

"It's not," Regina explained with a small smile. "He has a crush on me, however. He follows me around like a lost, stray animal. I was fine to be friends, but it gets uncomfortable when he looks at me as more."

"He's been trying to contain those looks. He thinks _he's _the reason you take so long to come back to us."

"Oh, no," Regina quickly, pleadingly argued. "I really wish I came here sooner. I just keep feeling down and I don't… I know that's why I visit, but I didn't want to bring people down."

"Sweet girl, you could never," Granny assured her and placed a comforting hand over one of Regina's on the table. "I only wish my granddaughter was more like you."

"How is she? You haven't mentioned her in a while."

"She's gone. Ran off after her mother convinced her I was holding her back. I lied to _protect _her and she went off with the woman who's never been in her life because she's part of the reason why I had to protect her."

Regina frowned.

"I'm so sorry, Granny. Maybe one day she'll return. I always do," Regina flashed a warm smile at the other woman.

Granny smiled back and patted Regina's hand when the door burst open.

"Granny," an urgent voice broke up the conversation.

A girl burst through the door and rushed into the dining room. She stopped immediately when she noticed the innkeeper wasn't alone and exclaimed, "Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize…Regina!"

The dirty blonde with bouncy curls beamed at the brunette before she hurried over to the two women and tightly hugged Regina.

"You're back!"

Regina smiled and hugged back. "Yes, Wendy, I'm back."

Wendy bounced a little as she held on to Regina for a moment longer then let go. She continued to smile even once she broke contact.

"I won't stay long, but I'm here," Regina added.

"Was there something you needed, girl," Granny asked when Wendy seemed to remain lost in Regina's presence.

"Oh, right," Wendy looked away from Regina to Granny. "Um, there's a sort of food crisis in the main part of the village. We're a little short on supplies and people are hungry."

Granny groaned.

"Third time in five weeks," Granny stated as she slowly pushed herself onto her feet. "You two mind helping in the kitchen?"

Regina stood and she and Wendy simultaneously agreed.

"Yes, Granny."

They followed the older woman into the kitchen and the trio silently worked together to prepare a hefty amount of food. After just over an hour of slaving away, they all carried as much as they could each hold at once and traveled to the busiest part of the village with all of their hard work. They set the food out wherever they could find space for it on tables and on nearby stands that sold all kinds of things since the area served as their marketplace because of all the foot traffic it saw.

"Alright, listen up," Granny announced as she made herself comfortable behind the last dish she'd set out. "We've got a lot of food here, but it's not gonna be enough for everyone to overindulge. Keep the portions small until every last one of you has had a little something. Then we can discuss seconds."

The crowd that had almost started a mob out of their hunger swarmed the food and kept Granny, Regina, and Wendy well-occupied with feeding the masses. They handed out food left and right to all of those who approached them until most of the day had been spent and all of the food was gone. When all the chaos had calmed and the people had given the three women room to breathe, Regina took a deep breath and puffed it out in a heavy but relieved sigh.

"Full day's work," Regina said.

Granny chuckled.

"Really teaches you to appreciate the cooks you grew up with, doesn't it," Granny said with a smile then winked.

Regina smiled back and the three of them cleaned up after the satisfied horde of people left them to handle the mess. As Regina stacked a few of the dishes together for easy transport, she heard giggles. For a little while she ignored it, but after a few moments when the giggling had increased and the conversation became easier to overhear, she slowed her hands and looked in the direction of blissful conversation.

A young couple sat comfortably close together on a log underneath a large and healthy tree. The girl kept smiling and giggled every so often as she teasingly and sometimes affectionately ran her hand through the young man's hair. He gently pushed her away and said a few joking remarks and they snuggled up and shared their food.

Regina frowned and stared at them for another moment before the couple kissed. When they did, she was reminded of her own kisses with Daniel and how her life had been so simple and sweet and how when she had been with him everything was good and was as she'd hoped things would be for her. It reminded her that she was happy once upon a time.

She pulled her hands away from the dishes and backed away from the table.

"I'm sorry. I should really be going," Regina shakily informed Granny and Wendy before she ran back to the inn.

She grabbed her satchel, slung it over her shoulder, and almost ran off. But she saw the ledger that guests signed in every time they stayed and wrote a letter to Granny on the first blank page she came across.

"_Granny, _

_Sorry for leaving so suddenly. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I promise to return soon. Sooner than last time. We can talk more then._

_Many hugs,_

_Regina"_

She tore the page out of the book, folded it, wrote out Granny's name in large letters with a graceful hand, and stuck it under her mug from earlier that neither she nor Granny had time to clean up once Wendy had barged in. With the letter set out for Granny to find, Regina hurried to Rocinante and fled the village.

She wanted to get away as fast as possible, but she was careful not to overwork her precious steed. She rode deep into the forest, back toward the palace, and went to her usual oasis then allowed Rocinante a drink. He was more tired than usual and she knew it had been her vault for not leaving him a bowl of water to quench his thirst with while she was helping the villagers. Normally she hadn't needed to stop on her way back to the palace for water unless she'd taken the longer way back to give Rocinante more time away from his stall back at their stable, but since she'd only left him at the inn to cool off and rest without water, she gave him ample time to rehydrate and recuperate at the river that day.

She stroked his neck and ran a hand down his dark mane while he drank up and after a minute, she gave Rocinante a little privacy. She took a short walk around one side of the riverbank and was careful not to get too far away from Rocinante in case he ran off for one reason or another. He was a good horse and stayed nearby, constantly obeyed her, but there were times he would flee if he felt scared and didn't see her.

Regina caught sight of a berry bush and made a beeline for it. She inspected the berries to ensure they weren't poisonous and when she confirmed they were the safe and editable kind, she picked a handful. She turned and headed back toward Rocinante, the berries still clasped in her closed fist, when she heard a few leaves rustle and a twig snap. It hadn't sounded like she had been the cause of it, but she stopped and looked under her feet anyway to confirm she wasn't alone in the forest. She wasn't. There was only dirt beneath her and another twig snapped only seconds later.

Regina wildly looked left and right, behind her and then in front of her, but saw nothing. When she looked forward in the direction of the riverbank, she dumped the berries in the front pocket of her satchel and started to run back to Rocinante. She could see him just off to the side past a tree and heard him get agitated. He whinnied and dragged a hove against the ground and she hoped he wouldn't run.

"It's okay, Rocinante," Regina tried to calm him as she called out before she could be seen by him. "I'm here!"

Suddenly, a hooded figure stumbled out of a thicker part of the forest and surprised both Regina and Rocinante. The horse whinnied again and canted in the opposite direction of the stranger, which also meant he was headed away from Regina as well.

"Oh. No, Rocinante!"

"I'm sorry," the hooded figured quickly apologized and regained Regina's attention.

The brunette turned and glared at the stranger, her fears about what the stranger could do to her or want from her completely gone along with her steed.

"I didn't mean to scare him," the stranger continued and dropped her hood so they could see each other's faces.

The stranger wore a brown cloak and matching corset with a tan skirt. Regina immediately noticed the stranger was also a woman, blonde tresses that fell past the swell of her chest, and pretty pink lips.

For a moment, Regina furrowed her brows and took a step back as a fuzzy image from a past encounter flashed through her mind. She thought she might have recognized the other woman, but she couldn't be sure. Instead, she shook off the faint and fleeting memory before she relaxed and sighed.

"Do you think he's gone far," the blonde asked and took half a step toward Regina before she seemed to think better of further approaching the brunette then stepped back again. "Maybe we can catch him."

"He doesn't like strangers," Regina simply said. "You'll only make him run farther from me."

"I really am sorry," the blonde apologized again. "I'm looking for a place and I think I got turned around."

Regina looked over the blonde from head to toe a few times with a critical eye before she asked, "Do you have a map?"

"Oh. Yeah," the blonde pulled the map out of the top of her corset and held it out to Regina.

Regina eyed the map with a snarl of disgust, but took it after a moment anyway. She looked over it for a few seconds before she said anything else and the blonde patiently waited.

"Brooke? Brooke Village is where you're trying to go," Regina asked and looked up from the map, but kept it in her possession.

"Yes," the blonde answered. "My brother is there and I haven't seen him in a long while. I lined up work in another village and now that I've got the time, I'd really like to check up on him."

"And now you're lost."

"Unfortunately," the blonde nodded with a slight grimace then stared down at the forest floor.

Regina looked over the map again before she folded it up and held it out to return it to the other woman. Her hand movements caught the blonde's attention and piercing green-blue eyes shot up to the map and then locked with Regina's dark brown eyes.

"It's a two day walk from here," Regina informed her.

"Guess I should have taken a horse then, huh," the blonde awkwardly chuckled and flashed a small smile as she stuffed the map back in her corset.

"How long have you been out here," Regina curiously asked.

"Got a late start yesterday. Camped out last night somewhere that way," the blonde pointed past the riverbank toward the area north of the village Regina had just come from.

"You should be careful out here. There are a lot of things in the forest and night is the worst time to be out in the open unguarded."

"Yeah, I know. I don't have much in the way of weapons or even money. Just what I think I'll need to get to Henry."

Regina's eyes widened.

"Henry? That's your brother's name?"

"Yes," the peasant girl fondly smiled. "Such a smart boy, but so young. And I miss him terribly."

"My father's name is Henry."

"Is it?"

Regina nodded.

"Small world," the blonde smiled again.

Regina cleared her throat and brushed at her skirt with both hands as she came to a decision.

"I have a sword…and some money, in case you get into any trouble."

"You're not offering to give me those things, are you? I couldn't possibly take them. What about you? Don't you need them?"

"Of course," Regina exclaimed. "I wouldn't willingly hand them over to someone I just met and I certainly wouldn't give them to a girl whose name I don't even know. I'm merely trying to suggest that I have a few things you seem to need, including a sense of _direction_. I know the forest well and I don't have anything pressing to get back to so if you wouldn't mind the help, I can take you where you want to go."

"Really," the blonde perked up. "That would be much appreciated! And, as for being a girl whose name you don't know, I'm Emma. Swan."

Regina laughed even as Emma held out her hand in proper greeting.

"Like the bird," Regina asked with barely contained amusement.

"Yeah," Emma frowned and dropped her hand. "What's so funny?"

Regina laughed a little more before she replied with a little dark purr, "I eat swans for dinner. Best watch your back around me, _Swan_. Or I just might eat you alive."

Regina turned toward where Rocinante ran off and started to go after him. Emma rolled her eyes, though Regina only caught the tail end of the action when she spoke over her shoulder, "Follow me, dear. First, we shall get my horse back and I'll take you to my palace. I'll need to change and get a few more supplies for the journey ahead of us."

Emma started to follow the brunette as told before she asked, "Might I learn your name now that you know mine?"

The brunette slowed down and turned a little toward Emma. She flashed an almost evil smile before she said, "Regina. PrincessRegina Mills."

"Royalty, huh," Emma asked as Regina faced forward again. "That explains the attitude, but not the clothes."

"Yes, well, I don't believe you've earned to know more than my name and the fact that I'm offering to help you get to your dear brother so that shall be my business and not yours."

As they walked, Emma pulled a ring out of the lining of her cloak and stared at the emerald gem. She moved a little closer to Regina and watched the gem go from a soft, glowing green to a beaming burst of emerald light the nearer she became to the princess. Emma smirked and slid the ring back into her cloak before she dedicated her full attention to the dirt road ahead.

* * *

"Rocinante," Regina yelled out for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. "Regresa! Esta bien. Regresa!"

Emma blinked several times as her eyes widened in shock.

"Was that…Spanish," the blonde asked.

"Si—I mean, _yes_," Regina answered. "Sorry, it's hard for me to go back and forth when I'm thinking in and speaking Spanish then try having a conversation in English."

"Oh, no problem. I'm just…surprised."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I've never met a princess that speaks Spanish. I've actually never heard anyone around here speak Spanish."

"It would be a shame for a Latina like myself not to learn a language that's part of her heritage, even as much as my mother hates that I know and use it."

As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she snapped her mouth shut and whipped around to look at Emma.

"Not that that's any of your business," she quickly added before she looked away from the blonde again.

Emma chuckled and then, with a more serious and a kind and sincere tone, said, "I think you speak it beautifully."

Regina stopped immediately and looked at the other woman. She was speechless for a moment too long before she came back to reality.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Swan."

Regina then walked a little faster toward where Rocinante had run of. She sighed and moved away from the path, into the trees, and shuffled further into the forest yet again.

"Rocinante! Por favor, precioso."

"So, your horse understands Spanish? Does he—it is a he, right?—understand English," Emma asked as she gracelessly followed the princess.

"Yes, Rocinante is a he and he understands both languages because frankly, he understands my tones and not necessarily my words. But when he runs off like this I've found he's more responsive to Spanish. I'm one of the few in this area that speak the language so it convinces him it's really me and that it's," Regina broke in conversation to call out, "_seguro_! Es seguro, Roci!"

Emma furrowed her brow.

Regina turned and saw the confusion on Emma's face.

"Seguro means safe," Regina enlightened her.

"Oh," Emma's confusion dissipated and they moved further into the forest.

"Rocinante," Regina called out again. "Venga!"

There was an animalistic snort and Regina froze. She listened closely for a moment, Emma thankfully still and quiet behind her, and when she thought she heard another snort and rustling, she clicked her tongue in calling. A neigh followed and there was more rustling before hooves trotted toward the two women.

"Roci! Rocinante, mi bebé," Regina excitedly cooed with a bright smile.

Her horse slowed as he approached and she held out a welcoming open palm for him.

"Good boy," Regina said as he nudged her hand.

She pet his nose and scratched behind his ears and he huffed and jerked his head at the blonde behind her. Regina looked over her shoulder at a stunned Emma. She chuckled as she turned back to Rocinante.

"Esta bien. _Bien_. Ella esta conmigo."

Rocinante settled down and nuzzled Regina's neck. The brunette laughed a little then gently grabbed his reins. She tugged at them and turned Rocinante so she could mount him and once she had, she looked down to spot a problem. Emma Swan, the peasant girl whom she'd offered to help, had no horse. She sighed and held out her hand.

"Are you coming," Regina somewhat sharply asked and avoided eye contact.

"Oh, uh," Emma awkwardly stuttered before she shuffled toward the horse and Regina's outstretched hand. "Yeah."

Emma accepted Regina's hand with a slap and grab motion then stuck her foot in the stirrup and allowed Regina to help pull her up.

Rocinante padded left and right with the added weight and almost caused Emma to lose balance. Regina started to fall after the blonde, but she tightened her hold on Rocinante and stilled him where he stood in that moment then braced herself to let Emma pull herself up the rest of the way.

The other woman seemed to understand and used Regina as her anchor as she hoisted herself up straighter before she swung a leg over the horse. She secured her foot in the other stirrup and sank down onto the small space left on the back of the saddle and winced at the pinched feeling it caused.

Regina looked over her shoulder and noticed the reaction. She remained silent for a moment and looked Emma over from her feet as she inadvertently kicked at Rocinante then squirmed from side to side to apparently make herself more comfortable.

"Scoot forward," Regina told her. "I don't bite."

Emma nervously chuckled, "That's not what I'm worried about."

"What are you worried about then," Regina asked as she looked Emma up and down again.

Emma childishly pursed her lips together then slowly, hesitantly slid forward in the saddle.

Regina felt Emma slot right up against her and she'd rode horses long enough to know how two people on a saddle worked, but it felt different. It felt like a spark or static shock, but it wasn't so obvious. The moment passed quickly, but it did give Regina pause because it hadn't been what she'd expected. She cleared her throat and tried to move past it, but Emma's hands brushed over her arms and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves and the mysterious feeling she only barely remembered from her first moments shared with Daniel, when things had been new and exciting and sweet and blush-worthy.

Emma's hands settled over hers at the reins and Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts, return to the present and not think about the similar experiences. Regina looked down at their joined right hands before she corrected the blonde's misguided placement.

"Around my waist," Regina instructed. "You'll fall off if you and I try to share the reins."

As Emma started to move her hands backward, toward Regina's waist as told, Regina looked from their right hands to their left. She caught a glimpse of a tattoo, though she couldn't make out what it was, and furrowed her brows a second before she felt the blonde's arms wrap around her. Her curious gaze softened when she gasped at the contact and she was reminded of their current situation once again. She slowly exhaled to relax a little then glanced back at Emma.

"Are you okay," Emma asked her with an oblivious smile.

"I'm perfectly fine," Regina answered and looked forward then gave the reins a gentle flick.

Regina clicked her tongue and Rocinante headed back the way Emma and Regina had traveled to find him at a casual cant.

"Be careful not to kick him," Regina kindly warned with her eyes forward and focused on the world ahead. "He doesn't like it and I won't tolerate you abusing my precious Rocinante."

"Got it," Emma responded and tightened up her legs.

The blonde's feet hooked around Regina's shins and the princess gripped more forcefully at the reins. In an attempt to diffuse the tension that Regina felt begin to grow between her shoulder blades, stomach, and lower back, she inquired about what she thought she'd seen on Emma's wrist.

"I see you have some ink on your skin."

"Oh, yeah," Emma replied and actually wrapped her arms a little tighter around Regina's waist.

Regina frowned at the odd body language, but dropped the new question it brought to mind when Emma continued to talk.

"It's just something I got a few years back."

"A few years," Regina asked with notable shock. "You can't be much older than me if you are in fact older so that means you've had a tattoo since…?"

"Since I was about fourteen years old," Emma finished for her when it seemed Regina wasn't going to be able to complete her assumption. "Yes. It wasn't too long before I left my village for work, before I left Henry."

A silence passed over them before Regina asked, "What is it?"

"What is what?"

"The tattoo. What is the design?"

"Oh. Well, it's a flower," Emma started to explain.

Regina wrinkled her nose as an image of a tattoo flitted past the surface of her thoughts, a memory perhaps, but she couldn't quite retain the full picture.

"But it's a specific flower," Emma went on to say. "Most people just refer to it as clematis, which is just this particular flower's classification, but the lesser known name is Ville de Lyon. The colors when they're in full bloom are bold and breathtaking and the way they grow is kind of fascinating."

"Oh? How do they grow," Regina looked over her shoulder and asked with genuine curiosity and intrigue, her previous thoughts of the tattoo's origin substituted with the new line of questions about their topic of discussion.

"The stems wind themselves around anything that's nearby and use those objects for support so they can grow further upward."

"So they use what they can for support and ensure themselves an upward trajectory," Regina asked with a quirked brow and a grin. "Is that how _you _are, Swan? Are you more like a Ville de Lyon or the aquatic bird your last name might suggest?"

"Uh," Emma immediately started to stutter. "Well, I…that's not really what attracted me to getting it."

Regina chuckled and said, "Relax. I have no interest in whether you're a swan or a flower. You're just a blonde stranger in need of assistance to reunite with her brother. I see neither a swan nor flower anywhere in that assessment."

"Right. Because I'm not a swan or a flower. I'm me," Emma regained her composure a little then smiled and nodded regardless of whether Regina saw it or not.

"Right," Regina confirmed with a waning smile as thoughts of who she herself had been before the King had then washed over her yet again.

But they were on a mission. She had a purpose for the moment and she had something to do, something she could control and help with unlike the ruling of the kingdom where she was seen but not heard. She could help like she had at the village with Granny and she could do something that would allow her a good, long break from the dreary palace she loathed and loneliness that plagued her within its thick, solid walls.

Another silence encompassed them and the only sounds heard were those of Rocinante as he took them back toward Regina's palace. After several seconds, the conversation was stunted and the silence hadn't been lifted so Regina flicked the reins and clicked her tongue at Rocinante. The horse picked up speed and the two women were off to the palace at a faster pace. Both moved around on the saddle with the added urgency in Rocinante's gallop and for the second time in the span of ten minutes, Regina felt Emma squeeze her arms tighter around her waist.

Regina's eyes widened at the pressure around her, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself before she immersed herself back into the beauty of riding she'd always enjoyed. She leaned forward a little more and spurred Rocinante on just a little faster and a smile broke out on her face as steed and rider recreated their earlier thrill and rode home.


	3. There's No Place Like Home

The exhilarating ride lasted only a short amount of time, but it gave Regina's day a sort of happy ending. The start of her visit to the village had been promising and even though she'd had to lend a hand to solve a problem she was sure Leopold wasn't even aware of, it had been a good day. Then there had been that cute, lovely couple. The couple had been too strong of a reminder of her past so she ran, but then there was Emma.

"Whoa," the blonde interrupted her thoughts as though she could hear them and knew they were venturing toward her as the main subject.

Regina slowed Rocinante to a stop outside of the palace's grand entrance and looked back at Emma. The other woman's mouth was as wide open as her eyes, which were fixated on the immaculate palace.

"_This _is where you live," Emma asked, her eyes still set on the high walls and ornate arches.

"Yes, and you haven't even seen the inside yet," Regina flatly and dejectedly said as she loosened her hold on the reins and looked back and forth between Emma and the ground just to the left of Rocinante's head while her steed snorted and looked for his next instruction. "Shall we?"

When Regina looked back at Emma that time she had the peasant girl's attention and the blonde looked unsure.

"You'll need to get off first unless you'd like to risk getting hit by my leg if I attempt to swing over."

"Oh, right," Emma nervously chuckled then struggled to find even a decent way to dismount with someone in front of her.

The blonde tried to shimmy further back in the saddle, but every time she placed her hands on either side of the saddle she accidentally grazed Regina's hips and butt. She fidgeted a little more and lowered her hands again but swiftly pulled back before she could touch the saddle.

Regina impatiently sighed and shot Emma a half-hearted glare.

"Any day now, Swan," Regina teased with a hint of a smirk.

Emma dramatically rolled her eyes and let out an indignant sigh.

"My apologies, Princess," Emma teased back with a darker, wider smirk of her own.

The mysterious blonde slid her hands under Regina's thighs, and partially her backside, for balance and then dismounted with a lot more dignity than she'd so far displayed in the time the two women had known each other.

Regina gasped, but refused to move while Emma removed herself from atop Rocinante. Regina remained still because if there was too much movement, Rocinante would get confused and start to move around, which would make it difficult for the brunette to dismount. Once Emma was on the ground, Regina looked at the blonde who then smugly smiled up at her.

Regina shook her head, her expression less than amused, and effortlessly swung herself off Rocinante. She ran her hands over her thighs and straightened out her pants, which rode up and creased during their travel. Rocinante turned his head and tried to nudge her arm, but Regina smiled and instinctively lifted her hand to his nose before he had to physically urge her to do anything. She affectionately stroked his nose and he dipped his head then stepped closer to her before he brushed his nose against her stomach. She giggled, something she hardly ever did, and scratched behind his ears.

"We'll only be a moment, Rocinante," Regina calmly, soothingly, told him as she grabbed the reins again and started to lead him toward the guards she spotted at the front of the palace.

As she and Emma approached with Rocinante, the guards bowed in her presence before they addressed her.

"Your Highness," the one on her left spoke first. "There are some matters to be tended to."

"With whom?"

"A few of the other royals in the King's circle. They are already inside and waiting for you. Shall I tell them you'll be a moment," he asked as he gave Regina a once over as soon as he noticed her attire and companion.

"Yes, please," Regina flashed him a friendly smile. "Thank you."

The guard excused himself and slipped inside the palace while the other guard who had yet to speak walked up and offered to take Rocinante's reins.

"Shall I place him back in the stables?"

"Yes, thank you," she nodded her confirmation. "Be gentle with him, please."

"Uh, I thought the guards weren't supposed to do housework," Emma finally spoke up as she looked from where one guard had gone to the other as he walked Rocinante behind the palace and to the stables.

"They don't. I've become a little more than acquainted with some of these men, however, and they don't mind lending a hand every now and then. I at least know their names unlike the King," Regina explained. "I think that's why they allow me to venture off when I shouldn't."

"And don't say much when you look like…" Emma trailed off as she looked over Regina's choice of attire at that moment, "that?"

Regina sniffed and primly turned on her heels before she headed into the palace.

"Precisely," she answered. "Come along. I have some things to handle, but you can wait in my chamber while I attend the meeting."

Emma walked a few steps behind Regina to begin with, but when she saw the intricacy of the inner halls of the palace she slowed down even more and took it all in. Her eyes widened with a childlike kind of wonder and she gazed up at the ceilings just as much as she drank in the sight of the sculptures that rested on the end tables and the paintings that adorned the walls. She didn't even know how to feel about the pristine floors that, even though they weren't transparent or made of glass, were extremely reflective in nature. She looked down at her faint, washed out—because the floor was marble, not a mirror—reflection for a moment as she kept up just enough with Regina so she didn't miss a turn the brunette made and got lost.

The size, as well as the taste of the décor, was all she could honestly think about then. Everything was so classy and rich and definitely not a place she'd ever find herself in. Unless she decided to rob the place like an infamous thief she knew of who traveled throughout the land to steal from the rich and give to the poor, to people like her.

After what felt like another stroll through the woods due to their leisurely pace, Regina finally opened a door to a beautifully lavished chamber and motioned for her to enter first. Emma clenched and unclenched her fists at her side and flashed a nervous smile, though she'd attempted to make it look as warm, friendly and non-threatening as possible. She hoped it, at the very least, didn't make her look like the last creep a person would ever want to stumble upon in the forest and invite into their home. She walked into the room and stared at everything around her twice as long as she had inspected all she could of what else she'd seen in the palace.

"This is where you sleep," Emma stupidly asked as she spun around with her eyes focused on the canopy bed and the warm glow to the walls due to the sunset that streamed through the partially open curtains on the balcony doors. "Amazing."

"It's…fit for a princess, yes," Regina replied as she moved to the walk-in closet and cast her eyes on the floor as she wrung her hands in front of her.

Emma frowned at the behavior, but didn't draw attention to it. Instead, she looked around a little more and made her way to the vanity. She slid her index finger along the edges of the mirror's frame then spotted a journal and feather pen on the desk in front of her. She dropped her hand to feel the leather-bound cover for the journal and then the sturdy and finely made desk with designs skillfully carved into the sides.

"You're welcome to borrow sleepwear from me and there's a chaise lounge beside the bed that might not be as comfortable, but it's a lot better than the forest floor," Regina said from the closet between swishing noises of what sounded like fabric, though Emma couldn't see the brunette or what she was doing.

"Why would I need sleepwear or the chaise lounge," Emma asked as she slowly started to come back down from the cloud she'd been on while enjoying the view of how royalty lived.

"There is _no _way I'm letting a stranger I picked up in the forest out of my sight! You could steal jewels or the expensive decorations. The guards may be around, but there aren't many people here this weekend and I'm not a fool that will allow you to wander about whenever you want."

"What? I understand your concerns about us being strangers, but _sleepwear_? I don't plan on spending the night here. I want to leave as soon as possible."

"It is a _two day _journey to Brooke Village, Swan, and it's almost nightfall," Regina argued. "We should rest here then grab more supplies in the early morning before we leave."

"Have your meeting and get what you need for the trip, but we leave as soon as your business here is finished," Emma fought back with a stern expression to match her no-nonsense tone.

"What's the rush? If we leave as soon as my meeting is concluded, we'll be tired and it will be dark and the forest, as I've already told you, is not a friendly place once the sun goes down. Who knows what we might run into out there?"

"You have a sword. I'm sure there are more weapons where that one came from, so we'll prepare ourselves. But I don't want to waste any time getting to my little brother."

"If it means that much to you—"

"It does," Emma quickly confirmed, her words almost growled out with frustration.

Regina walked out of the closet slowly, her hair a little disheveled but cleaner—straighter—than it had been out in the forest, and the two of them locked eyes.

Emma's anger at Regina's attempts to slow them down vanished from her features as her widened eyes scanned over the princess from head to toe and back again.

"You…look…" Emma didn't finish her thought as she admired the light purple dress with a few small jewels embedded in the sheer sleeves, which were thinner than the rest of the dress and transparent enough to expose the curve of Regina's shoulder and her upper arm.

Regina's hair appeared to be combed through a little better than it had previously looked, though it still needed work if she wanted it to look like she hadn't spent any time in the forest that day. She still looked radiant, however, and made it almost impossible for Emma to utter another word in her presence. The tiny braids Regina had previously displayed around the crown of her head were undone and cascaded in loose curls, the color of the dress made her brunette hair and olive-toned complexion pop, and the cut of the dress was modest but revealed a hint of the curves the princess kept hidden beneath her outfits. The lilac heels that flawlessly matched the dress gave her calve muscles more definition and her lips were more pink than before, though they were a muted, pale pink color and didn't clash with the dress. She looked like a true lady and Emma suddenly realized her place in comparison.

The blonde thought no less of herself because of the obvious differences she then saw between them, but she understood with better clarity that Regina was royalty and she was not. She grew up in a different world than Regina even if both sections of land belonged to the same kingdom. Regina had the class that fit with that of the things that filled the palace they stood in while Emma had her wit and physical strength she sometimes had to use in desperate situations, ones that she was sure Regina knew nothing about considering her privileged life.

"If that was meant to be a compliment," Regina started to say with a small, somewhat timid smile, in response to Emma's earlier unspoken sentence. "Thank you."

"Yes. It was," Emma replied as her eyes slid up Regina's form and met the princess' gaze. "Uh…right. So about leaving tonight…"

"We'll gather what we need after my meeting and we'll leave right away," Regina agreed with a nod before she turned around and asked, "Would you mind tightening the dress a little more for me, please?"

Emma was then exposed to more of Regina's smooth, olive-toned skin when she noticed the back of the dress dipped down to reveal the woman's neck and shoulders as the material swept across the near middle of her back. Regina kept most of her skin covered in the still modest dress, but there was a moment when Emma questioned why she felt a strange, tingling sensation in response to the very little she had seen in that moment.

The blonde reached out and fumbled with the silky laces of the dress for a few seconds before she took a deep breath and collected herself. She untied the laces and gently pulled them back per Regina's request.

"A little more," Regina instructed.

Emma pulled back the laces further and stopped.

"Don't be dainty about it."

Emma shrugged and yanked the laces with some force. She watched Regina jump with the effort she'd made with the laces then the brunette settled again.

"There. Tie it now," Regina said, her tone surprisingly far from commanding.

Emma crossed the laces and pulled back when needed to keep them at just the right tightness Regina had confirmed for her. When the laces were better tied, Emma stepped back and rubbed her hands, sweaty by then, over the skirt of her own dress.

Regina turned around and smiled before she said, "Thank you. I'll only be a short while. Hopefully, at the very latest, we can leave in two hours' time. Is that alright?"

Emma's eyes darted from Regina's eyes to her chest, but she quickly locked them on Regina's gaze again before they could look any further south. She spastically bobbed her head up and down in nonverbal agreement before she hummed in verbal agreement.

Regina gave a nod in response, her brow furrowed for a moment due to Emma's odd behavior before her expression softened.

"Make yourself comfortable," Regina said. "Just not _too _comfortable."

With that, Regina left Emma to do as she pleased in her chamber and the blonde didn't pass up the opportunity to get a better look into the princess' life, or at least her things. Emma slowly circled around the room and took in the openness—near emptiness—of the room. The design on the walls were simple, but they reminded her of snowflakes, except for the fact that each one was exactly the same and snowflakes were not. The large arches in the room traveled up toward the ceiling with a generous width and the stone met at the top of the arch with a sharp point. Emma supposed if she looked at it with her head tilted to the side the arches looked like the outline of half of an eye, while the other half seemed to disappear past the floor underfoot. The design beyond the arches on every wall looked like pipes, darker than the stone that made up the arches and made of bolted down metal, and the lines—as skewed as their paths were—led the rest of the way to the ceiling along the snowflake-less walls. The designs ended where the arches met in a point closer to the ceiling that the floor.

There was a mirror at the vanity and another mirror in one of the corners. In another corner, between the bed and the balcony, there was the one and only white chaise longue Regina had offered up to her for the night and behind that was a large vase of beautiful and thriving white roses. Across from them, in the other corner beside the balcony entrance, was a smaller vase of wilting red roses that had barely begun to bud. The room's arrangement was interesting to say the least and Emma was actually riveted to see just how the other half lived. She wasn't sure Regina was a good example of the high life of wealth and royalty, however. Though the brunette's bedchamber was furnished and larger than any of the places Emma had ever lived in the space's entirety, Regina didn't seem have many personal touches on display. The white canopy that slung over Regina's four poster bed, her journal, the white roses, and the nice desk complete with the mirror to match seemed good and well, but it seemed void of spirit, of soul, of vibrancy. The entire bedchamber felt lacking.

Just then, there was a whirling sound that came from the vanity before a dark image swirled within the mirror. Emma's eyes widened at the unbelievable and momentarily unexplainable action preformed on the no longer ordinary mirror, but her shock was quickly replaced with curiosity and inquiry.

She crept closer to the mirror and squinted at the almost pitch black picture projected through it as if the more she furrowed her brow at the object the clearer the image would become, which wasn't the case as she found out when she stood behind the chair that sat directly in front of the vanity.

"Hello there, dear. How are things," a voice suddenly asked from the dark image in the mirror.

Emma jumped back a few paces, her eyes wide again.

"Have you set our little plan in motion," came the next question only seconds later.

Emma recognized the voice. She knew what plan the secretive woman somewhere in that mirror had referred to and knew what answer was expected.

"Yes," Emma replied and moved back toward the mirror.

"Have you secured your delivery?"

Emma sighed and answered through a clenched jaw, "I have."

"Good."

"I don't want to do this," Emma truthfully said with fierce and sharp, determined eyes.

"Oh, but you will. You have to. Unless…you care more about some princess than—" The darkness of the mirror had lightened just as it revealed a frightened boy with light brown hair and fair—though more on the pale side in that moment—skin, his brown eyes focused on her through the mirror, "your own brother."

"Henry," Emma breathed out with fear to match the amount she saw in his big, terrified eyes. "He's innocent. He's just a kid. Whatever you want from her shouldn't involve him."

"The only reason he's involved is because I need _you _to get _her_ here. Now, you can either meet me at the agreed upon spot with the princess at your side in five days or you'll be trading his life for hers."

"Emma," the boy shouted, practically cried.

"Henry, it's okay. It's going to be okay," she tried her hardest to assure him with tears in her eyes before the image of her brother faded back to the darkness she'd originally seen at the start of the conversation.

"You know what to do and where to go," the woman spoke again. "Bring her to me or his blood will be on your hands."

"No, wait," Emma yelled and reached out to the mirror, but it was too late.

The darkness swirled in the mirror and within seconds the object returned to normal, her sad and immensely concerned reflection the only thing she saw in the glass.

* * *

With a sigh, Regina returned to her bedchamber and pressed her back against the door when she closed it behind herself upon entry. She closed her eyes and took a moment to collect herself after the meeting she'd had to bear about the staff. Apparently, her cook was well-regarded in the kingdom and another royal family wanted to relieve her of her service to the Whites so she could service their family instead. One of her soon-to-be stepdaughter's handmaidens had also been tied up in a scandal and there was a question as to whether she should be excused from the palace. Regina supposed the woman would better enjoy her time servicing Prince James since apparently that's what the woman did on her free time anyway, but King George refused Regina the option to send the handmaiden to his palace. His son had dragons to slay and as future King there was to be no future for him with the help.

Regina had relieved the handmaiden, though not to King George or his son James, but she kept the cook. She had to agree to better wages for the elder woman that had worked in the White's kitchen for several years, but she felt it was worth a few extra silvers a month because the cook was her closer to home version of Granny. Though the guards that occasionally made their rounds at the Winter Palace while the King and Snow White were away were nice to Regina, the cook was around more often than those men and had an entertainingly twisted sense of humor the princess reveled in whenever she waited on her food.

All in all, the tiring meeting had gone on longer than Regina felt was necessary and she was as relieved as she was exhausted by the end of it. Thankfully, the problems were resolved and she could get on with her plans for the evening, as much as she loathed the thought of further exhausting herself on a two day journey with a stranger to a village she didn't know much about and therefore didn't care much about.

She opened her eyes and looked for Emma within the chamber. She quickly spotted the blonde on the edge of her bed with the brunette's commandeered sword, which she had left in the closet when she'd changed into her dress before the meeting, across her lap. The other woman kept running a fingertip up and down the shiny metal and quietly sat alone in the room, seemingly unaware of Regina's presence. Though Regina hadn't known her long, Emma Swan didn't strike her as the silent type.

"Are you ready to go," Regina quietly asked, careful not to scare the girl in the overly quiet chamber.

Emma's head shot up and she immediately looked at Regina. She nodded in reply to Regina's question, but never voiced her readiness. Regina found it a little disconcerting.

"I'll only be a few more minutes. I need to change again. Then we'll collect a few things and be on our way."

"That's fine," Emma forced a smile. "Thank you."

"Are you tired," Regina asked with a curious and somewhat worried look.

"No," Emma shook her head. "Sorry, I was just… It was a little boring in here while you were gone."

"You're sure you want to leave tonight? I told you we could—"

"Tonight. I'd prefer to leave tonight. I promise I'm fine," Emma said with conviction, but not questionable force like she had earlier, like she had before Regina's meeting.

"Okay," Regina smiled then disappeared into the closet for the second time that night.

Dressed in a mostly leather outfit more appropriate for the forest, Regina emerged from the closet. She wore a brown leather vest and a white, long sleeved tunic with a few frills underneath it. She paired that with black leather pants and dark brown, almost black looking, leather boots. She brought a vial attached to a rustic, leather string up to her neck and tied together the two ends of the string at the base of her neck, underneath her hair. The vial had some type of white powder inside it and hung around her neck like a piece of jewelry, but a moment later Regina adjusted the position of the vial and it disappeared underneath her tunic and between her breasts.

With her more adequate attire, she directed Emma through the palace and packed a few more food items before they moved on to the weapons room. Along the way, Regina stuffed her satchel with four apples, a small velvet bag she filled with blueberries, and two canteens.

"There's a river that runs through the land between here and Brooke Village along the path we'll be taking," she informed Emma. "It intersects that path twice so we'll have a couple chances to refill the canteens when needed. Any food more sustaining than blueberries and apples will have be hunted and cooked over a fire. Since Brooke Village is a two day walk, we'll find a place to make camp and we can look for game nearby."

"Wait, _walk_? I need to see Henry as soon as possible. Why aren't we taking horses?"

"I only have Rocinante. He's the only horse in the stable that belongs to me and he's the only one not with the King on his current travels."

"We shared him on the way back here. What's the problem with taking him now?"

"I don't want to risk you scaring him off again," Regina quipped with a little sneer. "Besides, there's a particularly dicey part of the forest just beyond where we ran into each other. It would be best if the sound of hooves didn't attract attention to us while we pass through it."

Emma sighed and shook out her arm like she was shaking off her nerves, an arm that Regina noticed still had a sword in its possession.

She walked up to the blonde and pulled the sword from Emma's tense grip. It was one of the few weapons Regina had even a semblance of skill with and though she didn't have a favorite weapon, that particular sword was easiest for her to wield out of all the others available to her. It was just light enough in weight and long enough in length for her to better maneuver it in the chance she needed to defend herself.

Emma didn't seem too bothered to part with the sword, but she didn't exactly looked pleased to be suddenly weaponless.

"Come along. You can replace this sword with another one," Regina said and led Emma to the weapons room.

Once inside the room, Regina grabbed a knife and slipped it into one of her boots then turned to Emma, who had her eyes set on a bow. She watched Emma stare at the bow for several long seconds before the blonde lifted it from where it hung on the wall then chose one of three quivers available. She placed the bow in the quiver then picked a decent number of arrows before she slung the quiver over her shoulder and grabbed a hunting knife from where Regina had grabbed her own knife. Emma effortlessly slid it into one of her boots like Regina had previously done as well, though Emma's boots were shorter than Regina's and just barely concealed the hilt of the knife secured by the dark leather footwear.

Emma turned to her and for a moment the two stood in silence, face to face with a satchel of food and a few choice weapons. Regina took a deep breath and sheathed her sword against her hip before she spun on her heel toward the door and started to leave.

"Let's go," she said upon her exit and heard Emma follow close behind her.


End file.
